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Handling work and consistently making time for family has become a backbreaking task for most people. Given the current busyness, there is barely enough time to be productive in your career and still maintain a vibrant social life. 

Nonetheless, you can still achieve complete autonomy and form a habit of getting everything done. The question is, "how?" How do you juggle between a demanding family, personal priorities, and a stressful boss? 

The tips below should provide enough insights to steer you towards getting tasks done more effectively without imposing too much pressure on your overall well-being. 

Signs of a Negative Work-Life Balance

The first step towards establishing a work-life synergy is by evaluating yourself. From there, you should be able to know how serious your situation is. The following signs should help you out. 

Deteriorated Mental Health

Feeling low or depressed could be a clear indicator that your mental health is deteriorating. Also, you could experience panic attacks, restlessness, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts in extreme cases.

Incompetence and Recklessness

If you find yourself gradually caring less about your work performance, you might want to consider re-evaluating your working and resting periods. The episodes of self-discontentment and incompetence could pose a risk to your job and the general work environment. 

Stress-Related Symptoms

Managing stress becomes incredibly difficult when trying to deliver in all areas of life. Excessive work and unrealistic deadlines are some of the contributing factors to stress. In the same manner, not having things to do could work you up and make you feel undervalued. 

Loneliness and Strained Relationships

You can be connected with people electronically but still have a problem working on your friendships and relationships. Not having time for meaningful interactions is a sign that you need to rejuvenate your time and be conscious about your space. 

Tips for Maintaining a Good Work-Life Balance

Be Mindful of Your Well-Being.

With so much to do and barely enough time to breathe, it is so easy to neglect what truly matters: Your well-being. Taking care of yourself proves that your needs are crucial and that you understand your self-worth. Self-care can help you manage stress by nurturing long-term positive feelings. 

Start by getting enough sleep and practicing good hygiene. Put some effort to look presentable and develop a routine to focus your mind on positive things only. 

Above all, adopt a healthy diet and don't skip meals. Also, steer clear from extremes such as stress eating which can increase your fat mass. If the situation gets out of control, it would be best to visit a weight loss clinic. 

Evaluating your emotional stability is also part of this holistic process. Avoid rationalizing or covering up emotions because it only sets you on a destructive path. Instead, create an outlet for yourself and live in the present rather than the past. 

Constant introspection helps you place your thoughts and feelings hence molding your reaction during different situations. 

Manage Time Wisely

One of the gravest mistakes you would make is to over schedule yourself. Regardless of how skillful or competent you are, you cannot do everything altogether and expect exceptional results. 

At the same time, don't get complacent to complete your tasks. Time management, in essence, is the primary determinant of your level of balance. Find some time to think about this: How long is your phone screen-time? What do you think about most? What do you do during your free time? 

Evaluating such questions gives you an understanding of what is needed, therefore accomplishing more within any given time. The core idea here is to get so much done that you have some extra free time to focus on your family and personal life. 

You will realize that achieving small milestones in both spheres of life reduces stress and improves your decision-making ability.  

Set Clear Goals and Priorities

The only way to accomplish more with less effort and within a given time frame is through proper planning. Having a goal breaks everything down for you, giving you the short-term motivation you need for your long-term vision. 

More importantly, it opens up your mind to different solutions and aids in your organizational skills. Besides, it is a source of inspiration on difficult days. With time, you will no longer struggle to direct your attention towards things that don't matter or stressing over issues. 

Instead, you could establish your top priorities and learn how to go around each of them. 

The best goals should be realistic, measurable, and achievable, depending on your skill set and available resources. 

Be careful not to get too engrossed in work that you forget why you started in the first place. You could get your priorities mixed up at the cost of your happiness and peace. 

Set Boundaries and Limits

Boundaries help you establish a unique connection between your co-workers and various people in your personal life. It is only by defining your limits that you can reduce the margin of conflict, prevent burnout and enhance your physical health. 

Though technology in the workplace is to good use, it can create blurred work-life boundaries that unintentionally break your concentration cycle. Also, only do what you can, without stretching yourself so much. Learn the ability to say no to unproductive plans to reduce tension and anxiety. 

Separating work from personal life could be one of the best things you can do to achieve the coveted work-life balance. Use boundaries to enforce this, and don't be afraid to let people know what you stand for. 

Maintaining a healthy personal environment and work structure plays a vital role in improving your mental health. Essentially, it sets you off the path to self-actualization. But this is only achievable through commitment and taking incremental steps. 

The best thing about it is that you are not alone. There are tons of resources on keeping everything at bay and a pool of professionals who are willing to help. 

But first, adopt the above simple habits for a change. They could prove transformational, not just for people with a work-life crisis, but even for those who have attained balance. 

Start now, start easy, and remember, you are a few steps away from living your best life. 

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Stress

It’s possible that your headaches are caused by a high level of stress in your life. If that’s the case, then you should think about ways that you can reduce the stress that you are experiencing. This could mean that you need to think about changing your career or even reevaluating people and the roles that they play in your life. Stress will often lead to tension headaches which feel like an elastic band being squeezed over your head and tightening. It usually also means that the focus of the pain is around the sides of the head near the temples. 

Tinnitus 

Are you suffering from tinnitus? This can definitely cause some nasty headaches that you might not be prepared for. Tinnitus causes you to hear noises that aren’t actually there. This could be anything from the ringing of a bell to a buzzing or whistling. There’s no set rule for noise that you are going to hear. It could be anything. Tinnitus can be quite loud and may get louder overtime. It can be loud enough to wake you up in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, in most cases, this condition is not curable. However, it can be treated with options like retraining therapy. This helps you recognise the noise as something that should be ignored. 

Eyesight 

You might also find that your headaches are caused by an issue with your eyesight. It could just be the simple matter that you need glasses. An optometrist can help here and ensure that you do get the full support that you need including the right pair of glasses. It’s worth noting that your eyesight can either change gradually or suddenly. That’s why you should make sure that you are getting your eyes checked regularly, usually about once every year. If you do this, you’ll be able to make sure that things don’t start to develop without you noticing it. 

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Something Else 

Of course, it’s always possible that your headaches are being caused by something else entirely. Believe it or not, headaches can be the first sign that something is not quite right. That’s why you might want to think about visiting a doctor. You should definitely take this step if your headaches occur suddenly or get worse randomly. It can also be worth getting checked out by a doctor if your headaches started to get worse after an incident or injury. It’s likely that doctors will complete an MRI to make sure that nothing nasty is lurking underneath the surface. 

We hope this helps you understand some of the issues that might be causing you to experience headaches. Once you understand the cause you will be able to find the right solution and stop these issues plaguing your life.

So where do you start? Ideally, you want your trip to take you across the range of the Southwest region (Arizona, New Mexico, and Southern Nevada), Intermountain region (Utah, Nevada, and Idaho), and Front Range (Northern New Mexico, Colorado, and Southern Wyoming). Yet, depending on the duration of your trip, you may have to choose a few highlights to make the most of your road tour. Here are some of our favorite places to relax on your romantic Rocky Mountain holiday. 

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Your romantic suite

Let’s be realistic: You don’t want to go camping when you can pick a cozy Denver accommodation with whirlpool baths in Colorado. Don’t get us wrong: There’s a lot of fun in camping. Yet, the Rocky Mountains spread across eight states so that’s a lot of driving. You want to be able to relax in the evening, preferably inside a jacuzzi tub for all those sore muscles! 

In the Intermountain region, Idaho has got some breathtaking getaway spots, including luxury heated glamping in a yurt set at the heart of nature. The yurt stay is best suited for a winter trip as you can enjoy looking at the snow from the warmth of your accommodation. 

Breathtaking views

If you are traveling during the warmer months, we strongly recommend heading to the mesmerizing Colorado Plateau, which spreads across several states. The climate there is semi-arid but with a lot of desert vegetation. If you’re going to familiarize yourself with the greenery in these regions, you should add the Wildflower Loop Trail in Arizona to your trip. This will take you to the heart of a botanical garden that is filled with desert plants. It is a gorgeous sight to behold, and you can try to spot similar vegetation in the wild desert areas in Arizona and Colorado. 

A dinner in tete-a-tete

Last but not least, there can be no romantic trip without a romantic restaurant. When you’re on a road trip, though, you may not be in the mood to dress up for a fancy stay at a Michelin-starred venue. Yet, there are plenty of beautiful places around that will not require an overly formal dress code. A nice frock and a clean pair of pants will do the job, and you can even dine on a rooftop patio, such as Plonk locations in Montana. 

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We recommend a handful of road trips to make the most of the Mountain States. There is so much to see and do! But one thing is for sure, make sure to book some romantic stays in hotels and restaurants along the way. 

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Planes and helicopters have revolutionised travel and made the world more accessible than ever before. Whether you need to travel to another region quickly or you want to explore far-flung locations, air travel is typically the easiest, fastest and safest way to get to your destination. 

Despite the benefits it offers, air travel can have an impact on your well-being, particularly if you fly regularly or you embark on a long-haul trip. Fortunately, there are ways to minimise the impact. To learn more, take a look at these five ways air travel can affect your body and what you can do about it:

1. Reduced Oxygen Levels

In order to prevent people becoming unwell, airlines repressurise cabins to ensure people get enough oxygen. However, oxygen levels in an aeroplane cabin aren’t the same as they are at sea level, even when it’s been adjusted. Due to this, the oxygen levels in your blood will be lower than normal during a flight, which can lead to headaches and tiredness. 

If might be tempting to reach for a coffee or an energy drink when you’re feeling fatigued, but the subsequent crash could leave you feeling worse. Instead, stay hydrated with water and avoid alcohol or caffeine, if you can. 

2. Restricted Blood Flow

Airline cabins are notoriously cramped, which means there’s limited legroom when you’re in your seat. Sitting for long periods of time affects your blood circulation and makes it harder for blood to reach your extremities. This can result in swelling of the ankles, lower legs and feet and could increase your risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). 

You can combat this by staying as active as possible during your flight. Taking regular walks around the cabin will help to restore normal blood circulation but even keeping your feet and ankles moving while you’re seated can have a positive impact. Of course, if you have high risk factors for DVT, it’s important to seek medical advice before you fly. 

3. Exacerbate Existing Conditions

Some medical conditions or symptoms can be exacerbated by air travel, which is why it’s important to talk to your physicians about any upcoming travel plans. It’s not advisable to fly immediately following some types of surgeries, for example, so you may need to modify your plans to prioritise your health. 

It’s well-known that air travel can leave your eyes feeling dry and gritty, but your symptoms may be worse if you’ve got an established eye condition or have recently undergone treatment. If this applies to you, expert advice from an ophthalmologist, like retinaandeye.com.au, will help you to decide when it’s safe to travel and whether you need to take any precautions. Fortunately, most medical conditions can be supported during a flight, so you won’t have to put your travel plans on hold for too long. 

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4. Increased Ear Pressure

Being exposed to different barometric pressure affects the tympanic membrane in the ear, which is why your ears might feel full or stuffy when you’re on a flight. This is usually more noticeable during take-off or landing when you’re experiencing various levels of air pressure in a short space of time. 

To remedy this, you need to restore the balance and pressure in the ear, also known as ‘making your ears pop’. During takeoff, try chewing gum or a sweet to release air from the middle ear into your eustachian tube. When you’re landing, yawning or swallowing helps to increase the amount of air in the middle ear and should ease any ear discomfort. 

5. Higher Stress Levels

It is not unusual for people to feel more stressed prior to, during and following a flight. Whether or not you’re a nervous flier, the worry about getting to the airport on time, dealing with long queues or being unsure what your destination will be like can leave you feeling stressed and overwhelmed if you aren’t prepared. 

You can combat this by using stress reduction techniques in the lead up to your journey, as well as on the flight itself. With meditation or mindfulness, for example, you can reduce your body’s stress levels and actually enjoy your journey. 

Feel Fresh Upon Arrival

Now you’ve got a glimpse of how your body can respond to air travel, you’ll know exactly how to minimise the symptoms and side effects that come with flying. By doing so, you’ll be able to make the most of your time in the air and feel fresh and revitalised when you arrive at your destination.